Official: Decision to open NATO staffs in Eastern Europe to foster confrontation with Russia

Sept 04 2015

Interfax

Interfax

The deployment of NATO staffs in six Eastern European countries formalizes a turn of the alliance's military machinery to the task of the deterrence of 'a mythical threat coming from the East', Russian Permanent Representative to NATO Alexander Grushko said on Sept.4.

The deployment of NATO staffs in six Eastern European countries formalizes a turn of the alliance's military machinery to the task of the deterrence of 'a mythical threat coming from the East', Russian Permanent Representative to NATO Alexander Grushko said on Sept.4.

"This decision, which is part of NATO's measures reinforcing 'the Eastern flank', will feed the artificial atmosphere of confrontation in the relations with Russia. It is at variance with the genuine interests of common European and regional security which can be provided only on an equal and collective basis," the senior Russian diplomat said in a statement released by the Russian Mission to the North Atlantic Alliance in Brussels.

"The forces that wish to make irreversible the process of 'the alliance's return to the source', i.e. the task of 'deterring' Russia begins to prevail" in NATO, Grushko said.

"This is a dead end which will escalate tensions by Cold War epoch patterns," the envoy said.

"No matter what they say about this measure not being at odds with the Russia-NATO Founding Act of 1997, it has a destructive nature," he said.

It will also enhance the trend of the appearance of dividing lines in Europe, Grushko said.